QNX takes the wraps off two new technology concept cars

You may be wondering why I've been quiet lately. Well, as turns out, I've been anything but quiet. I've just been noisy somewhere else! And that somewhere else is the QNX auto blog, where you can learn about two new technology concept cars that QNX unveiled this week at 2014 CES.

So if you haven't been to the auto blog lately, don't stop, don't hesitate, don't prevaricate; just get yourself down there. And if you still need convincing, here's a taste of what you'll see:



and another:



and yet another:



and still another:

What has the QNX auto team been up to?

Well, let's see...

• Andy connects the dots between self-driving cars and soccer games
   
• Tina manages to squeeze ‘anti-noise’, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’, and ‘constructive interference’ into a single blog post
   
• Paul looks forward to fewer bumps, scuffs, and scratches
   
• Tina spells out the challenges for an important initialism
   
• Romain finds the stats on driver distraction a little, well, distracting
   
• Paul suddenly realizes what he wants for Christmas
   
• Yoshiki feels his navigation system doesn’t understand him
   
• Paul can't wait until December
   
• And Rob from TI can’t wait to get back on the road
   

Garmin taps QNX technology to create K2 infotainment platform

Complete digital cockpit delivers navigation, diagnostics, streaming media, smartphone integration, and voice recognition

Most people are familiar with Garmin's many portable GPS devices, from sports watches to action cameras to PNDs. But Garmin has also created the K2, a next-generation infotainment solution that's built for automakers and based on the QNX CAR platform.

The K2 is a complete “digital cockpit” that comprises multiple digital displays, on- and off-board voice recognition, smartphone integration, and optional embedded 4G connectivity. It's designed to give drivers simple, intuitive access to navigation, vehicle diagnostics, streaming media, and realtime Web information. It's also designed with scalability in mind, so automakers can use it to address diverse market requirements and cost targets.

According to Matt Munn, managing director of Garmin’s automotive OEM group, “the QNX CAR platform has played a major role in helping us to achieve our goal of providing both world-class software reliability and flexible access to emerging consumer applications. From the proven stability and performance of the QNX architecture to the company’s worldwide industry recognition, QNX was the logical choice.”

Other key features of the K2 include a 3D-enhanced city model, a predictive services calendar, and remote personalization and control via a web portal or smartphone.

Here's the K2 at a glance:

Source: Garmin

And here's a demo of the system, filmed by Engadget at 2013 CES:



For more information on this announcement, read the press release. And for more on the K2 itself, visit the Garmin blog.

A version of this article was originally posted on the QNX auto blog.

Foryou Electronics, leading infotainment supplier in China, makes the shift to QNX CAR platform

A Foryou infotainment system.
Source: Foryou

This just in: Foryou General Electronics, a global supplier of in-car infotainment systems, has chosen the QNX CAR platform to develop infotainment and navigation systems for automakers in China.

Said Steven Chen, CTO of Foryou General Electronics, ”we appreciate the modular, pre-integrated approach that the QNX CAR platform offers because it allows us to develop highly reliable, differentiated infotainment solutions for entry-level to high-end vehicles.”

Foryou chose the QNX CAR platform after comprehensive testing of competing infotainment platforms, including open source solutions.

Established in September 2002, Foryou General Electronics is a subsidiary of Foryou Group Ltd., one of the top 100 electronic information enterprises of China. Its products are sold in more than 80 countries and regions worldwide; company sales were more than US$300 million in 2012.

For more information on this announcement, read the press release.

20 million points of interest
In related news, QNX has also announced that it is partnering with AutoNavi, a leading provider of digital map content and navigation solutions in China, to integrate AutoNavi’s technology into the QNX CAR platform.

AutoNavi offers a digital map database that covers approximately 3.6 million kilometers of roadway and over 20 million points of interest across China. By supporting this database, the QNX CAR platform will enable automotive companies to create navigation systems optimized for the Chinese market and users.

Said Yongqi Yang, executive vice president of automotive business, AutoNavi, “as a leading global provider of vehicle infotainment software platforms, QNX is not only a technology leader, but also a design concept innovator in enhancing vehicle flexibility — infotainment designs based on the QNX CAR Platform can be quickly customized.”

For more information on this partnership, read the press release. And to learn more about AutoNavi, visit their website.

This article was originally posted on the QNX auto blog.

Panasonic goes global with QNX CAR platform

In the automotive market — or any market, for that matter — a product platform must be judged by its flexibility. After all, the whole point of a platform is to help you create multiple products or product lines, each with its own distinguishing features, while reusing as many components as possible. Done right, a platform lets you target multiple price points, multiple consumer segments, and multiple geographies, in the least time and at the least cost. If that doesn’t define flexibility, I don’t know what does.

Which brings me to Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America. They’re an international supplier of infotainment systems — Chevy MyLink and Chrysler Uconnect are just two of their products — and they need this kind of flexibility to deliver localized solutions  to their OEM customers in North America, Europe, and Japan. To help achieve it, they use the QNX CAR platform.

Flexible by design: MyLink supports
a touchscreen, voice commands,
and steering-wheel buttons.

To quote Scott Kirchner, vice president and CTO of Panasonic Automotive Systems, “we wanted a platform that would let us quickly customize our infotainment systems for a variety of markets and customer requirements — the QNX CAR platform, with its modular architecture and support for mobile connectivity standards, provides the inherent flexibility we were looking for.”

That quote comes from a press release issued just a few minutes ago. To read the release in its entirety, visit the QNX website. But before you click, remember also to visit the Chevy website, where you can find out more about the MyLink system. And did I mention? MyLink has been building quite the trophy case, what with the Best of CES 2013 Award it won in January and the CTIA Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award it won in May.

Chevy MyLink system.
Images: Chevrolet

This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog

Six QNX videos more people ought to see

Looking for examples of how people use QNX? You've come to the right place. From outer space to the automotive space, these six videos demonstrate the sheer flexibility and dynamic range of QNX technology. Better yet, you get to hear five users describe, in their own words, why QNX is important to what they do.

QNX in space
First up is Iain Christie of Neptec, the company responsible for creating the SVS and LCS camera systems on the NASA space shuttle. Highlight: when Ian explains the importance of QNX to the shuttle program (1:46). For more on the QNX-based LCS system, see my previous post.



QNX in the clinic
Next up is Vladimir Derenchuk of the Indiana University Health Proton Therapy Center, which uses proton beams to blast difficult-to-treat tumors. Highlight: it's all good, but listen to Vladimir explain why they chose QNX, and how it has helped with FDA approvals (1:34).



QNX in the HVAC
Next up is Hans Symanczik of Kieback & Peter, a German firm that has used QNX in building automation systems for more than 20 years. Highlight: when Hans explains the ultimate benefit of the QNX OS (2:07).



QNX on the air
Next up is Mikael Vest of NTP, a Danish company that supplies QNX-based audio routers to the global television and radio broadcasting industry. Highlight: Mikael himself, who gladly did this interview despite suffering from a flu to end all flus. A real trooper.



QNX on the road
Next up is Rick Kreifeldt of Harman International, a company known in the automotive industry for its ability to push the technology envelope. Highlight: the section where Rick's respect for the QNX team shines through (2:14).



QNX in flight
And last but not least is Thomas Allen from Mechtronix, a company that has developed an innovative, software-based approach to building flight simulators. Highlight: when Allen states that Mechtronix simulators effectively use the same software architecture as the QNX OS (0:45). Years, ago, someone explained to me how the QNX OS isn't simply a well-designed, modular OS; it also encourages well-designed, modular systems. In Mechtronix, we have an example.

What are the 5 all-time most popular QNX videos?

Geez, I thought you'd never ask. Seriously, the question came to mind earlier this week, so I decided to find out. A quick trip to the QNX YouTube channel provided the answer.

What that trip didn't tell me is why these videos are the most popular. I can think of several reasons, but the most obvious is that the videos all hint at a future in which driving is more connected, more convenient, more enjoyable — and also a little safer. But don't take my word for it. Check out the videos, if you haven't already, and judge for yourself.

Without further ado, here are the top five, along with my favorite scene from each one.

#1
First up, at more than 525,000 views, is Imagined: Your car in the not-so-distant future. Best part: the augmented reality-enhanced stop sign (1:10).



#2
Next, at more than 230,000 views, is QNX seamless connectivity. Best part: John Wall speaking on the real challenge of making a connected car (:50).



#3
Close behind #2, at more than 213,000 views, is The QNX secret to making hands-free noise-free. Best part: The marching band (1:21).



#4
Next, at more than 85,000 views, is QNX HTML5 series - Interview with Pandora's Tom Conrad. Best part: It's all good, but I love the bloopers (3:00).



#5
And last, at more than 34,000 views, is QNX technology concept car - Bentley Continental. Best part: the couches.



One that didn't make it...
And, finally, here's my current favorite. It's not one of the top five... yet. But I think it should be:

What has the QNX auto team been up to?

Well, let's see...

• Scott stays focused on distraction
   
• Tina goes over the moon over OTA
   
• Justin stays up late at Telematics Update
   
• Paul gets juiced over the Jeep
   
• Nancy crashes the QNX concept garage
   
• Paul opines that winning twice is twice as nice
   
• Nancy finds bloopers reel funny
   
• Paul can't decide which side of the fence he sits on
   
• Tina speculates about specs for cars
   
• Andy is nominated as co-chair for a W3C group and gets all musty
   
• Paul discovers an alarming solution for driver distraction
   
• Nancy thinks passwords suck
   
• But Emil insists it's all a matter of context
   
• And Romain (finally) throws away his 8-tracks

Successful beyond imagining

Hey, do you remember the "Imagined" video that QNX released back in November? You know, the one that takes a sneak peak at what cars might be like a few years from now? Well, I have a couple of updates.

First, the video has logged more than 518,000 views. Impressive, that. Second, it's
been named an honoree in the annual Webby Awards. Which puts it in the same company as videos from Disney, HBO, and Coca-Cola. Doubly impressive, that!

If you aren't familiar with the Webby Awards, they've been dubbed by the New York Times as the “Internet’s highest honor.” You can find out more about them here. And while you're at it, check out the blog post from Mike Edgell, the creative director at Thornley Fallis, the company that helped us realize our vision of tomorrow's car.

The winners of the Webby Award winners will be announced tomorrow, April 30. Just one more day...

What has the QNX auto team been up to?

Well, let's see...

• Alex has been developing drivers for drivers
   
• Andrew wants you to stop worrying and be appy
   
• Thomas from Elektrobit scrambles an egg
   
• Paul goes into isolation
   
• Bernard and Justin think "Hello Bentley" is just the beginning
   
• Paul can't get his mind off ice cream
   
• Andy talks to Pandora about built-in, brought-in, and how HTML5 fits in
   
• Yoram from Red Bend connects the dots between autos and airwaves
   
• Nancy gets cranky over UIs
   
• And Paul spends too much time on YouTube again
   

QNX at 2013 CES: The media's take

The show ain't over yet, but already, media coverage of the QNX concept car at 2013 CES is pouring in faster than my modest brain can handle. I'm still catching up, but here, in no particular order, are my favorite stories so far.

I'd love to hear what you think of what the media is saying. So before you go, let me know!

New York Times — A Tricked-Out Bentley at CES Shows Off Tech’s Capabilities

Washington Post — CES 2013: Car tech focuses on making the most of your time on the road — safely

Driving.ca — QNX's Bentley gives glimpse of future car tech

Engadget — QNX unveils concept Bentley Continental GT alongside Car Platform 2.0

CNET — QNX concept Bentley showcases future dashboard technologies

Uber Gizmo — QNX Shows Off Bentley Continental GT Concept Car

Car Design News — QNX Car 2 at CES 2013 (video)

CrackBerry —  Dan Dodge shows off the QNX Bentley concept car at CES (video)

BerryReview — Monitor RIM’s New Bentley QNX Concept Car @CES from Your Browser

Auto Guide — QNX Previews Tesla-Sized Touch Screen in a Bentley

Engadget — QNX builds in-car speech framework with AT&T's Watson, knows our true intentions

Itbusiness.ca — RIM subsidiary brings in-car speech recognition (and a Bentley) to CES

LAPTOP — QNX Bringing HTML 5, 4G LTE, Video Conferencing to Future Cars

TechnoBuffalo — Chevy, Ford, and QNX at CES 2013 (video)

Financial Post — CES 2013 kicks off with RIM’s QNX showing off car, a step closer to digitized homes

Ottawa Citizen — Ottawa companies use CES to pitch latest products to the world

Tech 2 — CES 2013: QNX shows off Car Platform 2.0 with concept Bentley Continental GT

Blast Magazine — At 2013’s Consumer Electronics Show, car safety has become a hot topic

N4BB — QNX CAR Application Platform 2.0 Chosen by Delphi for Next-Generation Infotainment

That's it for now. I aim to post some more stories and videos early next week. Stay tuned.

This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog.

QNX-powered Chevy Mylink drives home with Best of CES award

Congratulations to the infotainment team at Chevrolet! Their next-generation Chevy MyLink system has just won a Best of CES award, in the car tech category. The competition judges were particularly impressed with MyLink's user interface and integration with the car's instrument cluster.

The MyLink system was one of two QNX-powered finalists in this year's competition; the other was Garmin's K2 infotainment platform.

Chevy plans to roll out the new version of MyLink later this year.

This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog.

Now on YouTube! First video of QNX technology concept car

Yesterday, some friends from Texas Instruments dropped by our CES booth for a demo of the new QNX concept car. The cameras were rolling, and here's what they caught.

Mark Rigley, head of the QNX concept team, did a fantastic job of guiding TI's Michael Guillory through the car's many features, including the gorgeous HD display powered by TI DLP technology and by a TI OMAP 5 processor. Check it out:



My favorite part? The exceedingly cool video conferencing. What's yours?

This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog.

QNX unveils brand new concept car (hint: it's a Bentley)

If you haven't visited the QNX auto blog today, you've been missing all the action. This morning, QNX Software Systems took the wraps off a new technology concept car, based on a specially modified — and drop-dead gorgeous — Bentley Continental GT.

Here's an example of what you've been missing:



I've posted many other images on the QNX auto blog, along with guided tour of the car's many features. So what are you waiting for? Check it out.

New video: Your next car, imagined

It blows my mind, but some people still see connectivity in the car as the enemy. They think that, the more connected the car, the more distracting and dangerous it will be. But you know what? Responding to their concerns is easy. I simply ask them what if.

For instance, what if connectivity helped you drive with greater situational awareness? What if it helped you sidestep traffic jams and axle-busting pot holes? What if it helped you detect a stop sign hidden behind a tree? And what if it helped you become more connected to the people important to you, as well as to the road and the cars around you?

When we talk connectivity at QNX, that’s the kind of connectivity we envision. It isn’t just about Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or LTE — that’s only the plumbing. Rather, it’s about keeping you in tune and in sync with your car, your environment, your business, your friends. Your life.



This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog.

Meet the folks behind the QNX concept car (and other cool stuff)

An example of the concept
team's work

Imagine if you went to a Rolling Stones concert and the entire band played behind a curtain. That would be totally weird, right? Well, we realized that much the same scenario was playing out with the QNX concept team. Their work, including the QNX concept car, has appeared in A-list venues like CES and Mobile World Congress, yet the team itself has remained largely behind the curtain. And that’s too bad, since the team members embody the qualities I like best about QNX. Innovation, for example.

So, in the spirit of setting things right, we decided to pull back that curtain and make some introductions. And where better to start than with Mark Rigley, the team’s director.

If I were to describe Mark in one word, I’d choose chutzpah. Or gumption. Or moxie. He is the antithesis of wait-and-see. To spot him in a room, just look for the guy who says, “Let’s do it!” when everyone else is still stuck in “maybe,” “might work,” or “I need to get back to you on that.” And when you think about it, that attitude fits the bill perfectly. Because when your job is to take something like a Porsche 911 (an example of automotive perfection, if ever there was one) and make it even cooler, you’d better have a measure of confidence in yourself — and in your team.

Indeed, if anything shines out from this interview, it is the awe and respect that Mark holds for his team members. (Okay, I’ll admit it. Something else shines brightly: Mark’s enthusiasm for the next QNX technology concept car. Did I mention the team is working on one?)



This post originally appeared on the QNX auto blog.

What has the QNX auto team been up to?

Well, let's see...

• Andy wants to show you his roadmap
   
• Nancy finds a copy of GM's roadmap
   
• Emil wants to board a road train
   
• Kerry goes beyond the press release
   
• Jin takes in an EcoCAR workshop
   
• Nancy hangs out at the EcoCAR booth
   
• Andy busts some MirrorLink myths
   
• Paul scans his Google alerts (not to mention 1940s newsreels) for blog ideas
   
• Romain connects the dots between QNX, NVIDIA, and Audi
   
• And Doug Newcomb of WIRED Autopia makes a guest appearance
   

In-car infotainment and the art of doing more with less

No, not that kind of squeezing.

Granted, the title for this blog post doesn't have the pizazz of, say, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." (Are you old enough to even remember that book?) But it does capture the gist of a webinar that my colleague Andy Gryc will deliver next week.

His title for the webinar is "Squeezing high-end technologies into low-end infotainment systems." Admittedly, it's more direct than mine. Which is fitting, given that Andy has direct experience designing in-car systems. OnStar, for example.

But I digress. I'm sure you'd like to know what Andy plans to cover, so here's the overview:

Squeezing high-end technologies into low-end infotainment systems

Today's infotainment systems have it all – full multimedia, mobile device integration, POI-enabled navigation, speech recognition, high-resolution graphics, and cloud connectivity. The only problem is all of these features come with a big price tag.

Join Andy Gryc, automotive marketing manager, for this webinar, where he answers the question: Is it possible to build an infotainment system that meets today's customer demands with yesterday's price tag?

A 50-minute session (plus Q&A), this webinar covers a number of techniques to help slim down your next infotainment's BOM cost; it also suggests ways to target the luxury segment as well as the more cost-conscious, high-volume one with the same basic technology.

Date: Tuesday October 23, 2012

Time: 12:00 pm ET

Duration: 1 hour, including Q&A

Registration: Click here to register

Who should attend: Automotive software engineers and managers

This post also appeared on the QNX Auto Blog.

QNX at SAE Convergence: Cool screens and a mobile theme

Let's start with the theme. And no, I don't mean the kind of theme you download onto your smartphone. I'm referring instead to the main theme of a press release that QNX issued yesterday at SAE Convergence.

First, some context. If you're an automaker, you have little choice: you have to offer infotainment systems that can keep pace with the crazy fast advances in mobile devices. You also need to keep your systems fresh with apps, features, and content that consumers will expect long after they've bought your car. And to do that, you'll need to tap into the skills and products of the mobile app community. Otherwise, that ultra-cool infotainment system you ship today will rapidly transform itself into the 8-track of tomorrow. Goodbye, brand image.

The QNX CAR 2 application platform, with its solid grounding in HTML5, is designed to help infotainment-system designers conquer these (admittedly difficult) challenges. HTML5, after all, has become the lingua franca of the mobile apps market and offers an ideal bridge between the mobile and automotive worlds.

One thing was missing, though — a toolkit that would make it easy for mobile app developers to target the QNX CAR 2 platform. Yesterday, at SAE Convergence, QNX announced a new HTML5 SDK designed to do just that.

An SDK for (auto)mobile developers
The HTML5 SDK for the QNX CAR 2 platform is an extension of the open source BlackBerry WebWorks framework, specially optimized for automotive environments. It allows developers to write, test, and package feature-rich automotive apps based on HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and other open standards. It also provides the missing glue between high-level apps and the car, through specialized APIs that provide access to automotive devices and hardware.

Runtime emulator for quicker testing and debugging
This is where the first of the screens comes in. To speed development, the HTML5 SDK provides an emulator that lets developers quickly see how their apps would look and function in a car. Developers can use the emulator to perform JavaScript debugging, HTML DOM inspection, automated testing, and screen-resolution emulation, all from the convenience of a web browser. They can even make changes to their apps and view the results without having to recompile. The simulator is based on the open source BlackBerry Ripple emulator, used by thousands of mobile developers.

For instance, in this screen capture, the emulator is being used to test the virtual mechanic provided by the QNX CAR 2 platform:


Click to magnify

Here's another example, where the emulator is being used to test an audio control application. If you were running this emulator session, you could manipulate the app's onscreen controls to adjust volume, bass, treble, fade, and balance; you could also observe the changes to the underlying data values in the right-hand panel. And you could work the other way: by changing the controls on the right, you could observe changes to the app.


Click to magnify.

QNX also plans to create a virtual marketplace that will allow developers to make their QNX CAR 2 applications available to automakers. The marketplace will provide common ground for app developers and automakers to work together, and will allow automakers to preview the applications that best fit their brands and satisfy their customers. The marketplace is expected to go live when the HTML5 SDK is released.

By the way, my colleague Kerry Johnson provides an interesting back story to the SDK, including the kinds of APIs it provides. You can read his post here. You can also find more images of the emulator on the QNX Flickr page.

3D navigation from Elektrobit
Now for the other screens. Besides announcing the SDK, QNX has brought its QNX reference vehicle, a modded Jeep Wrangler, to the SAE show floor. As always, the Jeep is running the QNX CAR 2 platform. But this time, the Jeep also includes a cool 3D navigation app from automotive software vendor Elektrobit. Here are two examples of the Elektrobit app:





That's it for now. But before you go, be sure to follow @QNX_Auto on Twitter, where we are covering the latest developments, both QNX and non-QNX, from SAE Convergence.

New video: WIRED Autopia meets up with QNX reference vehicle

This just in: Doug Newcomb of WIRED Autopia (and, of course, of the Doug Newcomb blog) has posted a short video of the new QNX reference vehicle, taken last week at Telematics Detroit.

Highlights include the vehicle's re-skinnable user interface and voice-controlled Facebook integration. Roll the tape...



As indicated in the video, the reference vehicle is based on the QNX CAR application platform. For info on the platform, visit QNX CAR web page.